


Say That Again

by Miss_Romance_Lover



Category: Emmerdale, robron
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 19:20:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7066801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Romance_Lover/pseuds/Miss_Romance_Lover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A continuation of last night's episode. Aaron goes after Robert.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Say That Again

“Robert, wait,” Aaron called after him as he walked out of the pub. 

He followed the other man out of the pub, struggling to catch up with him as he marched across the road to Vic’s. When he reached the front door and unlocked it, Aaron was sure Robert was going to slam it in his face. To his relief, he left it open, and so he followed him inside and shut it behind him. He was glad to see that Adam and Vic weren’t in.

“I’m sorry,” he said weakly, knowing how pathetic he sounded.

Robert was standing with his back to him in the lounge, and now he turned to face him. “Are you really though, Aaron? You made a choice today and it wasn’t me.”

“No, I didn’t!” he told him loudly. “Look, I know I should have told you it was Liv as soon as you got back, but I just didn’t want a shouting match. I know you won’t believe me but I’ve already had it out with her over what she’s done to you.”

Robert rolled his eyes. “I doubt that.”

“It’s the truth. After what I said this morning she knows full well what you mean to me. I’m just sorry she got to hear it before you. It shouldn’t have taken this happening for me to realise.”

Aaron was angry with himself for that. When he’d told his sister that Robert loved him it was like something clicked inside his head. And that was the fact that he still hadn’t said it back. He hadn’t told Robert that he loved him in over a year, and back then things had been so different.

Now he watched as Robert sat on the sofa, rubbing his eyes – no doubt he was exhausted after a night in a cell. “What did you say to her?”

“That you did what you did because you love me. That you might go to prison because of her. And that I might lose you.” That last sentence caused him to look at the floor instead of his face. “Looks like that’s going to happen either way, now,” he added.

“You’re not going to lose me,” Robert replied calmly. 

There were tears in Aaron’s eyes now and he wiped them away as he sank into a chair. “I hope not,” he told him. “Because this isn’t one-sided, me and you. Well it wasn’t supposed to be, anyway. I love you, Robert.”

His boyfriend couldn’t have looked more shocked if half the village burst through the door in a conga line. In fact had that or anything else happened, he probably wouldn’t have noticed.

“Er…can you say that again?” Robert said in a quiet voice.

Aaron laughed, scarcely able to believe how much had changed since he’d last opened his heart to this man. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He sighed in relief, and Robert smiled. “You didn’t think I wouldn’t say it back, did you? Aaron, I was angry at you, it doesn’t change how I feel. Nothing would.”

“Good, because nothing’s changed for me since the first time I said it. I loved you even when I said I hated you.” They sat in silence together for a while, both filled with thoughts and memories from the last year, starting with that first ‘I love you‘. 

They were interrupted by Robert’s phone ringing. It became apparent that it was the police by everything that was said. “So do I need to come back to the station? No? Right well, thank you. Bye.”

“So?”

“That was DS Wise. Liv turned up and asked to see him. She said she offered Ryan her inheritance money to lie about me. He’s let her off with a caution for wasting police time.”

Aaron had been holding his breath and now he let it out, anxiety slowly slipping away. “So they’re not gonna charge you?”

“No. He called Chas to pick her up, well Liv asked for her apparently.”

He sighed. “It sounds to me like she was lucky it wasn’t someone else dealing with it. He’s been good to us, that DS Wise. I’m really sorry about all this.”

“It’s not down to you,” Robert told him. “I never said it was. It’s just you’re always protecting her, and I get it, I really do. But you have to draw a line at some point, Aaron.”

“I know. And I’m drawing it today. Come on, you’re coming back to mine.” He stood up and headed to the door, only opening it and walking outside when Robert had got up to follow him.

When they got to the pub, Chas and Liv had only just arrived home. Chas took her place behind the bar to relieve Charity, and Aaron took his sister to one side.

“Living room,” he said, and she and Robert followed him out to the back.

“Right,” Aaron began, closing the door. “Sit down, both of you.” Again, they did as they were told. “It’s been a nightmare couple of days and I need to make a few things clear. Liv, this needs to stop now. Robert has really tried with you and I need to see you trying with him, too. No more causing trouble, and I hope you know how serious this could have been.”

His sister nodded. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking genuinely upset as she turned to look at her brother’s boyfriend. “I’m really sorry, Robert.”

“I know you went to the police and got me off the hook. That took guts. So let’s put it behind us, okay?”

Liv nodded again.

“You know how important you are to me, Liv,” Aaron continued. Then he looked at Robert. “But so are you,” he added in a softer voice. Once again he redirected his gaze to his sister. “If it wasn’t for Robert I would never have found you. I wouldn’t have managed to tell the police what Gordon did or been able to go to court, and actually I might not even be here now.”

Her eyes widened at that and he realised he had said too much. But one look back at Robert’s face and all the emotion of that day he’d collapsed hit him all over again.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is I love you both, and I don’t think it’s too much to ask to want you both in my life. And it’s been you that’s making it impossible right now, Liv. I know there’s someone making your life hell with this fake account and I’m going to find a way to sort that, but everything else…it ends now, alright?”

“Yeah. I promise,” she agreed, looking at both of them as if to prove her sincerity. Robert gave her an encouraging smile and it made Aaron’s heart swell to see it.

“Okay. And I know you got a caution at the police station. Try not to worry about it. If you’re sticking to your promise then that’s as bad as things will get, and I’ve been there before.”

“Why, what did you do?”

“I’m not giving you any ideas,” he teased lightly before winking at Robert, who chuckled back.

She jumped up to give her brother a hug, and then to the older man’s complete surprise she hugged him too. Then she headed out towards the stairs. “I guess I’ll leave you to it for a bit.”

They stared at each other in bemusement. Robert wasted no time in pulling Aaron into a heated kiss now that they were alone; leaving him tumbling over his words once they broke apart. 

“Wh…what was that for?”

“For making it clear how you feel about me.”

“Well it needed saying,” Aaron informed him, going in for another kiss.

Their moment was cut short by the sound of Chas calling from the bar. “Aaron, love, the barrel needs changing. Would you mind?”

He rolled his eyes. “Right,” he said, clapping Robert on the back. “I’ll just go and do that, then I’ll see you out there for a pint. I’m buying.”

Robert grinned and wandered through to the pub, sitting on one of the stools and facing Aaron’s mother. She sent him a genuine smile and he guessed she was feeling grateful over what he’d gone through the night before all because he loved her son.

Today he felt part of a proper family, unconventional as it was. And when Aaron had finished his task and returned to his side, Robert didn’t even hesitate as he put an arm around him while they waited for their drinks.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. I will be updating 'Getting There' soon if you're reading that one too.


End file.
